Pay-as-you-go broadband - what can I get?

Wednesday, January 10, 2018 ByKim Staples

Several years ago, you could use the internet on a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) basis - paying by the megabyte for what you use. But these days, that’s been abandoned in favour of fixed broadband that comes with a ready-set usage limit or no limit at all.

Nonetheless, if PAYG broadband sounds like it's up your street - either because you don't go online much, or because you don't want the commitment of a contract - there are still a few options available. Here's the lowdown, and how to find a deal that suits you.

No-contract, 30-day broadband

If it's temporary internet without the commitment you want, take a look at no-contract broadband. Instead of the usual 12-month or 18-month contracts, some broadband packages are available on just a 30-day basis - so you can stop, start, or cancel it whenever you like.

It tends to be fixed-line, meaning it's more reliable than mobile broadband (more on that later) while also offering affordable prices, and, best of all, unlimited usage. The only downside is that it costs a little more per month than broadband on a longer contract.

Virgin Media

Everything Virgin Media has to offer - broadband, home phone, and even TV - is available on a 30-day rolling basis. That includes its ultra speedy broadband (with average download speeds of 362Mb), and up to 245 channels for your telly.

Featured Virgin Media deals


Player TV Bundle	Mix TV Bundle	Full House TV Bundle	VIP TV Bundle + Talk More Anytime	Player TV Bundle with Sky Sports
£368.00 Total first year cost	£560.00 Total first year cost	£680.00 Total first year cost	£1,076.00 Total first year cost	£749.00 Total first year cost
£29.00 p/m for 12 months £20.00 setup costs 12 month contract	£45.00 p/m for 12 months £20.00 setup costs 12 month contract	£55.00 p/m for 12 months £20.00 setup costs 12 month contract	£88.00 p/m for 12 months £20.00 setup costs 12 month contract	£60.75 p/m for 12 months £20.00 setup costs 12 month contract
Average speed 108 Mb	Average speed 213 Mb	Average speed 213 Mb	Average speed 362 Mb	Average speed 108 Mb
Weekend calls inc.	Weekend calls inc.	Weekend calls inc.	Day, eve & wknd calls inc.	Weekend calls inc.
Channels 94	Channels 171	Channels 257	Channels 258	Channels 106
Offer ends 31/07/18	Offer ends 31/07/18	Offer ends 31/07/18		Offer ends 28/06/18
Go Call Virgin Media on 0808 168 6088	Go Call Virgin Media on 0808 168 6088	Go Call Virgin Media on 0808 168 6088	Go Call Virgin Media on 0808 168 6088	Go Call Virgin Media on 0808 168 6088

Compare all Virgin Media deals

NOW TV

All of NOW TV's broadband packages are available on 30-day contracts too, including fibre broadband packages with average speeds of 36Mb and 58Mb, and all have unlimited downloads. Plus, you can add on a TV Pass at any time to get premium TV channels, Sky Cinema, or Sky Sports.

Featured Now TV deals


Brilliant Broadband	Brilliant Broadband + Entertainment Pass Attachment	Brilliant Broadband (1 month)
£225.99 Total first year cost	£285.87 Total first year cost	£275.99 Total first year cost
£18.00 p/m for 12 months £9.99 setup costs 12 month contract	£22.99 p/m for 12 months £9.99 setup costs 12 month contract	£18.00 p/m for 1 month £59.99 setup costs 1 month contract
Average speed 10 Mb	Average speed 10 Mb	Average speed 10 Mb
Pay as you go	Pay as you go	Pay as you go
Channels 0	Channels 15	Channels 0
Offer ends 31/07/18	Offer ends 31/07/18	Offer ends 31/07/18
Go	Go	Go

Compare all NOW TV deals

Cheap broadband with a usage limit

If the main reason you're looking at pay-as-you-go broadband is because you don't use the internet very much, you may be better off signing up to a basic cheap internet package. These usually give you an ADSL connection (i.e. not fibre optic), sometimes have a usage limit of 25GB or so, and come at very, very low prices. We're talking only a couple of pounds on top of the price of your line rental - or sometimes nothing at all.

It's just enough to ensure that you have internet in your home when you need it, but barely costs a thing.

You'll find broadband offers like this from providers like Sky, TalkTalk, Plusnet, EE, and more. We say it's well worth switching your phone provider just to cash in on low-cost internet.

Featured broadband deals


Broadband Unlimited	Fast Broadband	Unlimited Broadband + Weekend Calls	Unlimited Broadband - Line Rental Only	Superfast Fibre + Weekend Calls
£235.95 Total first year cost	£204.00 Total first year cost	£204.00 Total first year cost	£282.00 Total first year cost	£369.87 Total first year cost
£18.00 p/m for 12 months £19.95 setup costs 12 month contract	£17.00 p/m for 12 months 12 month contract	£17.00 p/m for 12 months 12 month contract	£21.00 p/m for 1 month £30.00 setup costs 1 month contract	£29.99 p/m for 18 months £9.99 setup costs 18 month contract
Average speed 10 Mb	Average speed 11 Mb	Average speed 11 Mb	Average speed 11 Mb	Average speed 50 Mb
Pay as you go	Pay as you go	Weekend calls inc.	Pay as you go	Weekend calls inc.
Offer ends 21/06/18	Offer ends 12/07/18	Offer ends 30/09/18	Offer ends 30/06/18	Offer ends 21/06/18
Go Call Sky on 0800 759 1469 Mon to Sun 8am-10pm	Go Call TalkTalk on 0800 049 7843 Mon to Thurs 8am-10pmFri to Sun 8am-9pm	Go	Go Call SSE on 0330 053 5146 Mon - Fri 8am-8pmSat 8am-2pm	Go Call BT on 0800 783 5390 Mon to Sun 8am-6.30pm

Compare cheap internet deals

Mobile broadband

For truly pay-as-you-go broadband, your only option - in the UK, at least - is mobile broadband. This works over 4G and 3G, the same as the internet on a smartphone, and can come in the form of a dongle, a personal hotspot device, or a home router. You can also turn your smartphone into a mobile hotspot and connect to that.

Mobile broadband is available from most major mobile networks. Some of them offer genuine PAYG mobile broadband, in which you buy a mobile broadband gadget and a SIM card upfront, then top it up and pay for each megabyte you download. However, most prefer you to buy add-ons or 30-day data bundles with a set data allowance you can use. Networks that offer this kind of mobile broadband include:

You can also sign up for a monthly contract. This usually works out much better value than PAYG - especially from a provider like Relish, which gives you unlimited downloads.